Werecat Rising
by Xenon1311
Summary: Ryan, a werecat, lives on his family farm near Therinsford. One day, his parents are captured by werewolves and Ryan is on the run with his sister and a thirteen year-old Angela the Herbalist(who is a little OC cause of her age), being chased by werewolves and trying to deliver a golden dragon egg to it's rider. Using old and new characters, it tells of the beginning of the riders.
1. Midnight Attack

**Please comment with advice and feedback! Anything would be much appreciated. This isn't the best chaper; the next will be much better. Thanks for reading!**

It was a perfect night to attack. The night was cold and black, making it impossible to see out of the nearby camps. The werecats surrounding the encampment were blind because of the lack of light. The camp that they were guarding was like a small city, with small dens and houses scattered about. There were torches providing light for the settlement, and guards were patrolling the 'streets' of the place(the 'streets' were not well defined and more like paths.) The guards were not alert, but kept their eyes open and their heads swiveling around. The endless walking made them sleepy, and they couldn't wait for the next guards to awaken to take their spots.

Beyond the torchlight werewolves crept around, making sure not to be seen and staying silent. Waiting for the command to attack. Their leader stood apart from the main group, watching the camp unblinkingly, waiting for a sign. When the nearest werecat disappeared from the wolf's line of sight. The leader straightened up and looked to his followers. Without any words of encouragement, he hissed one word. "Kill."

The waiting wolves perked up with excitement and sprinted into the encampment. This was something that they had been waiting for for a long time. Howling war cries, the wolves crashed into the camp, destroying all that they could. The nearest tent, torch, cat, had to be destroyed. Even the kits.

The cats inside the encampment were caught by surprise at the sudden attack. Soon however, the whole place was awoken and chaos reigned. What was happening? The attackers preyed on the confusion, striking down cat after cat. Cats rushed around, looking for others and trying to escape. Others tried to fight. Those that did were quickly struck down, some in cat, some in human form. This caused only more confusion; cats had no idea what was causing the death. Before long, most cats were in full retreat running for the exits to the camp, leaving many kin lying dead on the ground, or dying. Werewolves chased after them, determined to kill them all. The cats ran all ways to escape, only to find more werewolves coming their way. Hissing at the wolves, the cats stopped. At the same time, both lines of wolves pounced. Howls and screeches pierced the night air as some cats started to fight. Others kept running into the oncoming wolves, not caring anymore. Then there were some who just stood there, letting themselves and their friends be ripped apart.

However, there still were a few who still fought. In the northern part of the camp, a few cats were making a stand in front of the nursery, where some kits and mothers were. Among the defending cats was the leader of them all, Grymfaern. Hissing at the wolves, the cats barricaded the entrance. The wolves formed a semicircle around the trapped cats and their leader stepped forward. "You have fought well," he growled. "Surrender and we will kill you painlessly."

The cat laughed. "Never."

The wolf looked at him thoughtfully, waiting for a second or two. Turning his back, he started to say: "Ki-" he was cut off as the cat jumped on his back, biting into it. The cats behind him had attacked too with terrible ferocity, surprising the unsuspecting wolves. The two leaders meanwhile, rolled around on the grass, with the cat keeping his hold on his bigger enemy. But with a vicious turn, the wolf spun the cat off him. Flying through the air, the cat hit the side of the nursery, falling to the ground. The wolf lunged in for the kill.

And missed. The cat dived to the side at the last second, raking his hind claws against the wolf's skin, drawing blood. Enraged, the bloodied wolf turned and attacked once again. "Fool!" he said as he diving once again for his enemy. "You cannot hope to compete with a wolf." The cat didn't answer as he studied his opponent. "Hmm, scared are you?" the wolf asked tauntingly.

He didn't see the attack coming until it was too late. Lunging, the cat's claws punctured an eye of the wolf, causing it to scream with pain. The wolf shook his head viciously, once again sending the cat flying. The cat hit the ground and lay still. Cautious of another trick, the wolf approached the cat slowly to make sure that it was down for good. Blood poured down the side of his face from his eye. He reached the cat and looked down at it for a few seconds. Then with terrible ferocity he ripped of the cats throat. Blood poured from the wound, choking the cat. Then it spoke it's final words slowly, yet hauntingly. The wolf would never forget those next words. "It's too late. The kit has escaped." The light then slowly left the eyes of the cat, leaving it lifeless.

The wolf turned around and observed the recent fight. Every single cat lay dead on the ground, with only one wolf dead also. Whirling around, he ran over to the nursery, peering inside. What he saw infuriated him. Nothing was in it, those in there had escaped.

Howling with fury, he turned around and observed his nearby soldiers. "All of you, follow the scent trail. There are some cats that have escaped." The wolves glanced at him hesitantly.

"What do we do with those that escaped?" one asked.

The leader sent them a withering look. "Find them, and then kill them. Kill them all!" he shouted furiously. "And if any are left alive, I wouldn't come back."

The wolves nodded their assent and hurried off toward the nearby trees. Sniffing the ground, one of them raised their head and the group dashed off into the woods. The howled, a long sound that would chill many to the bone.

The leader smiled to himself. His soldiers would not fail, he was sure of that. No one could escape werewolves for long.


	2. A Dangerous Fight

**Chapter two in Ryan's adventures. FYI: it takes place 13 years after the first chapter. I spent a couple of hours on this next part, so please review and give feedback. Thanks for Reading!**

Ryan walked back down the path to his family's farm, excited about the day. The sun was just peeking over the trees, shining brilliantly off the leaves and stunning Ryan. He simply could not get used to it, the prettiness of the Valley in the day. The Spine rose on all sides of him, touching the sky, but these things seemed friendly to Ryan, not foreboding like it was to others.

Ryan was a small boy of thirteen, with long, curly blondish hair and chiseled features. He also had dark blue eyes, with speckles of black throughout. He was small for his age, about four and a half feet. Even though he was small, he was fast on his feet and loved to run.

Reaching the family farmhouse, he ducked inside. "Have you finished milking the cows, Ryan?" his mother asked him as he walked inside.

"Yes mom, all done."

"Good."

"Can I head into town now?" Ryan asked his mother. It was a Sunday, Ryan's day off from farm work and where he could go into Therinsford, a town a mile away.

His mother sighed. "Yes, of course." At his jump of excitement, his mother added in a stern voice: "But as always, meet up with your dad and Caroline at noon." Ryan's dad and sister liked to sleep late today, so Ryan always went into town by himself first. "Here's your money to spend. She gave him a half-crown and sent him away.

Running out the door, Ryan called "Bye" as he ran towards Therinsford.

"Be careful!" His mother yelled at him as he disappeared.

Ryan smiled to himself. Today will be a good day.

* * *

Ryan ran through the busy town of Therinsford, dodging and weaving through the marketplace. It was his free day from work, and he planned to make the most of it. He hurried to the far end of the marketplace, glancing around at the various shops, but not stopping at any. He was looking for one shop in particular, one right at the end of the expansive market. Unfortunately for him, he could not see past many of the adults bustling around.

Peering past people, Ryan was annoyed at being short. But at the same time, he was happy. Because he was short, people usually didn't notice him, especially adults. Today being unnoticed was exactly what Ryan wanted. If his parents caught wind of where he was going, he would be grounded for a month.

Continuing on, Ryan saw the end of the marketplace where streets branched off in different directions. Looking around, he saw the shop he intended to enter, along with a group of people crowded around something. Interested, Ryan walked over to find out what was happening. When he reached the edge of the crowd, Ryan wove his way through the people and to the front of the audience. Reaching the front, he gasped.

In front of him was a lady of immense beauty, crouched in a fighting pose and with a sword in her hand. The lady had long, raven black hair, and piercing green eyes. She was also tall and lean, and looked quite strong and agile. She was facing a man who was also crouched in the same position, holding a broadsword.

The man opposite her was almost the exact opposite that she was. He had greasy brown hair, and grime was all across his face. Though he was well built, he looked clumsy and unused to a broadsword.

The two people circled each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Ryan watched in awe and horror. He was seeing a duel for the first time in his life, which was quite a prospect for him. On the other hand, either of the duellists could be dead in seconds. "Was there some way that the swords were blunted of something?" he asked himself. Seeing the razor sharp swords, he doubted it.

Pushing his concern aside, Ryan watched the battle in awe. No one had made a move yet, so he sized up the competitors and chose who he thought would win.

It wasn't a hard choice. Just looking at the two, anyone could tell that the man looked much stronger than the lady, but looked like he had no idea what to do. The lady on the other hand, held her sword with assurance and apparent skill. Ryan chose the lady to win.

"Bets are all in!" a man shouted to the audience. "The odds are 2 to 1, in favor of this lady here."

"So thats what is happening!" thought Ryan. "People are placing bets on those who they think will win." The thought made him even more eager for the battle to begin.

"Fighters," the man continued said with a slight pause. "Spar!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the lady attacked. Quick as a snake, she swung her sword at the man's head. Her attack was barely parried by the man, who stumbled backward with the impact of the blades. The man attacked regained his balance just as another blow came at him. Again, he barely managed to deflect the blow. He swung clumsily at the lady, who danced easily out of the way. Again, he swung, and again she danced out of the way. Roaring with frustration, the man twisted his sword at her head viciously.

With lightning speed, his opponent disarmed the man off of the reaching blow, letting his sword clang the the ground. She raised her sword to the man's neck. "Dead," she said, a grim smile on her face.

She turned to the leader of the match just as the crowd broke into applause. The leader handed her some money and whispered in her ear. Walking into the middle of the circle, he raised his hand for silence, and barked a word at the defeated man. The man stomped off into the crowd, angry at his defeat.

When the audience was silenced, the man started to talk. "All those who lost the bet, hand over the money. Grumbles resulted after that, but money was handed over to the man. The man continued: "Who will be the next one to challenge this fair lady here?" The crowd stayed silent, waiting for an answer. After a second, there was commotion behind Ryan. Someone was pushing through the crowd to fight next.

Suddenly, Ryan was slammed into by the people behind him, causing him to stumble forward, right into the circle. People looked at him in shock. "Are you the next challenger?" The leader asked, stunned.

"No, not really, it was an-" Ryan started, walking backward.

"Have him fight!" a voice came from the back of the crowd. "Have him fight!" the voice repeated. It quickly caught on, and soon the whole crowd was chanting it.

It was Ryan's turn to be stunned, but he knew he could do nothing about it. A riled up mob was not something to argue with.

"Sorry son, but you'll have to fight. Don't want to get on the wrong side of those people." The leader of the match told him. "Here, choose your weapon," he said to Ryan.

He lead Ryan over to a weapons stand that Ryan hadn't noticed before. Ryan observed the weapons. There had to be something his size. A pair of daggers caught his gaze. They were about a foot long, with razor sharp edges. Ryan selected them, and turned to his opponent.

He hadn't looked at her since he stumbled into the circle, but now studied her. Maybe he could find a weakness about her. Surprisingly, Ryan saw a pitying look on her face, something he did not expect. He expected scorn, or maybe indifference, but definitely not pity.

Shaken by her, Ryan turned around and looked at the match leader, who started to explain to him the rules. "First of all, I will dull your blades so no one can get hurt." He pried the weapons from Ryan's hand, and ran a finger down both of them, whispered words Ryan couldn't discern. Handing them back, the man continued. "Her blade is already dulled, so don't worry about getting killed. The worst you will get are some bruises." Ryan sighed in relief inwardly. "Secondly, you fight until you are disarmed or beaten. I will be the judge of that, so don't stop fighting until I tell you. Oh yes, and you can refer to me as referee when addressing me. Any questions?" Ryan shook his head; if he had a question he doubted that he could say it. "Ok then, once I get the wagers, the match will start. Good luck."

The referee walked away and circled the crowd, taking bets on the match. Because he was nervous, time seemed to go doubly fast for Ryan. In no time, the referee had all the bets in and Ryan and the beautiful lady were circling each other, poised to attack. Thoughts flew through Ryan's head like wildfire. What was he doing? How did you use a knife again? Ryan had received minimal training from his father about using knives. His father's reason was: In this world, you gotta know how to protect yourself. And boy was Ryan glad about that now, even if it may not help him that much.

The referee's voice broke him out of his reverie; the match was about to begin. "The bets are 20 to 1, in favor of this lady here." The crowd roared its' approval, getting into a frenzy. "Fighters," the man continued, "Spar!"

The lady lunged immediately, time slowed down for Ryan. He could feel his the knives in his hands, sliding around because his hands were too sweaty, and his hair, stuck to to his head also because of the sweat. Every single thing about him and his opponent was now crystal clear. Bringing up the knives, Ryan blocked the sword. The resulting clang echoed around the marketplace, but Ryan didn't hear it. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart as adrenaline rushed through his body.

The fight had begun.


	3. Angela

**Please comment and review; the more reviews I get the faster I can finish this. It always good to know that people are reading it, and even better to know if people like it. Any feedback or suggestions are welcome. Thanks again for reading!**

Springing to the side, Ryan twirled the knives in a deadly arc towards his opponent's neck. The speed and gracefulness of his attack astounded him. How did he do that? The lady dodged the knife and slashed her sword at him once again. Dancing aside, Ryan counter-attacked. The fight continued like this, a deadly and entrancing dance. The spectators watched in awe as the blades connected once again, sending sparks up for all to see. More and more people gathered around, gaping at the two fighters. It was a close match-up right from the start, but Ryan's stamina began to fade. As he tired, his blows got clumsier and less accurate.

Seeing Ryan's fading strength, the lady pressed her attack even more. Ryan was now fighting tooth and nail to keep from losing, and was spending half his time dodging. Knowing he was going to lose, Ryan tried a desperate tactic. Dancing backwards from another slash from his opponent, Ryan pretended to lose his balance. Seeing her opportunity, the lady lunged forward for the kill...

And missed. Ryan twisted out of the way at the last second, coming up behind his attacker. Triumphantly, he plunged his knife into her back. The blade was stopped at the last second by the spell around the blade, but everyone saw the outcome.

Ryan had won. Stunned, he stood still with the knife in his hands. Then the crowd erupted, showering Ryan with praise and good-natured scorn. The referee broke Ryan out of his reverie by gently removing the knife from his hands. "Good fight, lad." the man said. "I haven't seen anyone with that much skill with knives in ages. Say, he added as an afterthought. "Do you want to buy these? Seems like they'll help you more than me."

Surprised at the offer, Ryan accepted readily. "How much?"

"One crown," the man said, causing Ryan to slump in despair. "Don't have that much?" he asked the dejected boy. At Ryan's nod, he gave a good-natured shrug. "Ah well, I'll take what you have." Ryan perked up and handed over his money. Receiving the knives, he stuck them in his pockets; he had nowhere else to put them. "And to be honest," the man whispered to him. "I bet for ya. Made a fortune." Again Ryan was surprised. Why would something bet on him to win? "Someone like me knows this kind of stuff," the man continued. Giving Ryan a final pat on the back, he turned around to continue the spars.

Walking away, Ryan wondered where he should go next. The sun wasn't up fully yet; he could still enter the shop he had been going to in the first place. Glancing around, he saw it squashed in the corner of the marketplace. But Ryan also saw something else, something that chilled him to the bone. A couple hundred feet away stood the lady he had just beat, watching him. Meeting his gaze, she smiled. But it wasn't a nice smile, like the one your parents give you. It was a mean smile, a you're gonna regret this smile.

Ryan shivered and looked away.

Ryan entered the store at the end of the marketplace. He hadn't looked at its' name the first time he had visited it last week, but he saw its' name to be "Jay's Jewelers."

The store itself was very dusty, but had a homelike feel to it. Various trinkets and baubles were all around the shop, making the shop interesting to explore. Each item had a tag on it that identified it and explained a bit about it.

Walking around, Ryan saw numerous interesting things. An instant death bauble that would kill you upon touch, a cursed necklace, and some enchanted clothes. Walking to the back of the store, Ryan came upon the armory. Enchanted swords, armor, shields, and much more other stuff. After taking time to admire the stuff, Ryan looked around for other items of interest. He saw nothing, but a glow in the corner caught his eye. Golden light shone from the corner, but Ryan couldn't see the object that made it. When approaching it, Ryan saw that it came from a polished gold stone, that looked light a jewel. Gaping at it, Ryan saw it had no flaw, and was smooth all the way around. He reached out to touch it.

"I wouldn't do that," came a voice from behind him. "It isn't very agreeable with people." Ryan whirled around, looking for the speaker. He saw a rather short and skinny girl, with bouncing brown curls and a staff in her hand. She appeared to be about Ryan's age, and he noticed that she was quite pretty.

"Who are you?" he asked hesitantly.

"You can call me Angela," she replied cheerfully. "And who are you?"

"I'm Ryan."

"Ryan who?"

"No, I'm Ryan. Just Ryan."

"Hmmm," she said thoughtfully. "Well anyhow, I wouldn't touch that. He doesn't like to be touched."

"He? It's a stone, isn't it?" Ryan replied, confused.

"Oh of course not, it's a dragon egg, you dummy." she replied cheerfully. At Ryan's stunned look, she looked a little crestfallen. "Oh my, I was a little to blunt, wasn't I?" she said worriedly.

"Uh, no, of course not." Ryan replied quickly. "It's just I didn't know dragons exist."

"Of course the exist, just like elves and dwarves do!" At Ryan's disbelieving look, she smiled wryly. "I take it you didn't know they existed either?"

"No."

"Ah well. You're a very good fighter."

"You watched that?"

"Yes. I have seen very few with that much speed at your age." She looked at him thoughtfully. Suddenly she swung her staff at Ryan very nearly superhuman speed. Instinctively, Ryan brought his hands up and caught the wood object, which stung his hands. Unfortunately, the force of the impact knocked him backward. Pinwheeling, Ryan's fingers brushed the stone.

Images flowed into Ryan's mind, engulfing his consciousness. He saw a raging battle happening, with monstrous dragons fighting humanoids with pointed ears and inhuman speed. Elves, Ryan assumed. The fought on a prairie next to Du Weldenvarden, with long golden wheat. Fire spurted from the dragons mouths at will, burning elves and the wheat. The elves fought with swords and light body armor, taking down dragons in groups.

But it was not enough. The dragons slowly drove the elves back across the plains into Du Weldenvarden, slowly but steadily. Just when all seemed lost for the elves, a group of elves broke free from the retreating force. In their hands were tridents, glowing brightly. Jumping at the dragons, the tridents cleaved effortlessly through the dragon's bright scales. Dragons fell, blood pouring down the wounds in their sides. It didn't matter if they were flying or not, if they were within a hundred feet the elves would get them. The tables turned and this time it was the dragons that were retreating, flying back across the prairie.

The vision changed, this time showing elves and dragons on the middle of the same prairie, but it looked different fro before. The stalks were regrown; Ryan assumed that at least a year had passed. The elves were talking to the dragons, with a golden dragon egg in between them. With a start, Ryan realized that this may be the egg he had touched. The two parties came to an agreement, and the elves picked up the egg and walked away.

_They took me as a token of trust, a voice echoed into Ryan's mind. They waited for me to hatch for someone, but I didn't for anyone. No one was the right fit. They kept me for a long time, waiting for the time I would hatch, but I still never did. Angry, they cast me off into the wild, where a young girl named Angela found me. She took me here, in hopes I would find someone. It still wasn't enough, but I now know who I must hatch for. It was shown to me by some mysterious force, someone that I couldn't recognize. I saw my rider, but I need to reach him. Aid me, please, and the time of dragon and rider may begin._

Ryan was momentarily stunned at being talked to be the dragon but recovered._ Who are you? _he asked in his mind.

I_ have no name, that is for my rider to choose._

_Ok I only have one more question: Who is your future rider?_

_His name is Oromis, and he is a young elf living in Du Weldenvarden. So, will you take me to my rider?_

Ryan was still stunned, but there was something inside him that wanted him to accept. He could travel the world, something he had always wanted to do. And riders had always been a legacy to him, people of legend. But now that he had met a dragon, things were a lot more real.

_I accept._

_Good._

_But, why me?_

_Our races have always been on good terms with each other._

_What? Humans and dragons have?_

There was no reply.

Released from the mind, Ryan fell to the ground, stunned. He was going on a journey, one to create a dragon rider.

Then he thought about how his parents would react.

Uh oh.


	4. Werewolves

**It's not my favorite part of the story, but it had to be written. The next parts will be better, and pieces of the past will appear throughout the journey. Please read and review. Enjoy!**

Ryan walked down the streets of Therinsford, Angela at his side. They were headed for the a tavern near the middle of town called "The Broken Bottle." He always met up with his sister and father here on Sundays. He usually disliked having to meet them because it wasted his time, but now he dreaded it more than ever. What would his father say about the quest he had accepted?

Ryan thought back to when he had broken out of his conversation with the dragon. Angela had bombarded him with questions. "What happened? What did he say? Does he want you to do anything?" Ryan hadn't known Angela for more than a couple of minutes, but he trusted her for whatever reason. There was something good about her, something that made him trust her.

After he had explained the story to her, Angela was very silent, and she stared hard a Ryan. Ryan had the odd feeling that she was looking straight through him, seeing all his secrets. Finally, she had broken her gaze, looking out the windows behind him. "I need to talk to your parents, about what they haven't told you."

"I meet my father and sister at "The Broken Bottle" tavern in the center of town." I don't know why I told her that; my family did not need to get involved with her and this journey. "And what have the not told me?" I asked her immediately, hoping to cover what I had just said. She ignored me, grabbing the egg and stuffing in in a bag she had, then walking to the door.

"Come on, lazy," she said with a teasing smile. "We have to talk to your parents."

And so we went.

When we entered the tavern, Ryan immediately saw his father and sister sitting at a table. His father was a tall, well built man with blondish hair like Ryan's, but green eyes instead of blue. Ryan's sister had the same brilliant green eyes as him, but had raven black hair They waved to him, sipping foaming beverages and eating lunch. His stomach rumbled; he hadn't eaten in a couple hours. Angela and I walked over to the table. "Hey dad, hey sis," Ryan said, giving his sister Caroline a light punch. "I have someone for you to meet. This is Angela," I continued, gesturing to her.

"Nice to meet you, Angela," his sister said warmly. "You know, Ryan isn't the best to date, he has a pretty vivid imagination, doesn't have much time for anything else. Spends half his time looking for elves." She added in a fake confidential whisper.

Ryan reddened slightly, but Angela took it in stride. "Ah well, at least elves exist. That's better than looking for something that doesn't exist." she said with a wry smile, enjoying the look of shock on Caroline's face.

My father, on the other hand, was looking angry. "What are you doing here?" he hissed at Angela, who dropped her cheerful pretenses.

"You very well know what's going on," she hissed back at him. "The wolves are on the rise, and you're sitting here like nothing is happening."

My father stood up, anger etched on his face. "The wolves have no idea that we are here."

"Oh they have a pretty good idea that you're here, especially after the show Ryan put on this morning."

Ryan's father rounded on him. "What show?" he asked him, a deadly calm in his voice.

"Well, I kind of got into a fight." Ryan mumbled, ashamed.

"A fight? I don't see any bruises."

"No, not that kind of fight-" Ryan said, and then explained it all to him. Instead of an angry outburst that Ryan was expecting, his father slumped down defeated.

"And what do you have to do in this?" he asked Angela.

Angela explained the rest of the story from where Ryan left off, including everything. If his father could look more defeated, he sure did after what Angela said. Caroline, on the other hand, looked shocked.

"But, what does this have to do with wolves?" she asked Angela, confused. Ryan agreed. What did this have to do with wolves?

But it was their father who answered. "Werewolves have always hated our race," he said.

"Werewolves?" Ryan broke in. "Our race?"

His father sighed. "Yes, Ryan, our race. Me, you, Caroline and mom, we're all werecats."

Ryan's mouth dropped open in shock. Werecats? But werecats were vicious, unloving, and lots of bad stuff. How could he be a werecat? He's nothing like that. Thoughts swirled around his head like dust in a dust storm, never stopping.

His father continued. "It is not what you think, you two." He gestured to Ryan and Caroline. Looking at his sister, Ryan saw she had the same reaction that he did. "Were cats are not all that you think.

"Well, what are they then?" Ryan found his voice.

His father opened his mouth to reply, but at that time the door to the tavern blew open, revealing a few strangers. They were well-built, with strong-looking arms and legs. Looking over, Ryan saw the lead one glance over at them, giving them a nasty smile. His teeth looked like fangs.

His father and Angela both jumped to their feet, alarmed. "Werewolves," Angela hissed at us as the strangers approached. Jumping to their feet, Ryan, Caroline, and their father. exited the booth where they were sitting.

"Ah, look what we have here." The same one said, the terrible smile still on his face. "A couple of werecats, and a human girl."

Ryan's father stepped forward, putting himself in front of the others. "Stay back," he said, calm and cool. "You have to get past me first." He drew a sword from its' scabbard at his waist, and raised it threateningly.

The whole group of wolves laughed. "Thinks his sharp stick can protect him, does he?" one growled with amusement. "Well I'll show him." Before anyone could move, he was an enormous wolf, as long as a human. He lunged toward the man in front of him, who barely raised his sword in time. With a sickening crunch, the sword lodged itself in its' belly. The force of the jump knocked Ryan's father over, sending him tumbling to the ground with the wolf on top of him.

"Go," he said to Ryan as he pushed the wolf off of him. "Go!" he repeated, yelling it this time.

"This way!" Angela yelled to Ryan and Caroline, gesturing to the cellar in the back of the tavern. The three turned around and ran as the wolves pounced on Ryan's father. A few though ran after the trio, running through people instead of weaving like the three were doing. Without turning around, Angela sent a blast of light behind them with her staff. It struck one of the two wolves, causing it to shrink into a toad.

"You turned it into a toad?" Ryan yelled to her as they ran towards the back of the pub.

"Frog!" she corrected as they reached the cellar. She yanked the door open and the three tumbled in, then she quickly shut it. A body slammed against the door, and Angela touched her staff to the door, whispering some words that Ryan couldn't make out. The handle rattled as something on the other side tried to turn it, but the door didn't budge. "I locked it," Angela whispered to the other two quietly.

"Can it get through?" Caroline spoke, for the first time in awhile.

"Soon it will break through, but we have some time," Angela replied. "Now where's this tunnel?"

"What tunnel?" Ryan asked.

"There's is one that leads from this cellar." Angela said and she poked around the storage barrels nearby. "Ah, here it is!" she pushed some barrels aside. "Get in! Once more werewolves arrive, that door will be gone pronto." As if in time with what she said, there was a big thud and groan as bodies slammed against the door, cracking it slightly. She pulled open a dusty trapdoor., motioning for them to jump. "Don't worry, It's only a few feet."

Ryan and Caroline jumped through the it, landing on the ground softly. Angela followed them, shutting the door just as the door they had entered splintered under the weight of werewolves. Ten werewolves streamed into the room, looking for their quarry. Howls of rage split the air as the werewolves saw the room empty.

Angela pulled Ryan and Caroline along, putting a finger to her lips. "We have to hurry, it won't be long before-" Her voice was broken of as the trapdoor broke open, letting in the werewolves, who were only a mere a hundred feet from the group. "On second thought, Run!" Angela said, and the three sprinted off into the darkness.

At first, all Ryan could here was the sound of his footsteps, lightly striking the stone floor of the tunnel. Then he heard the howls of the wolves as the began their hunt.

And when hunting, wolves rarely failed.


	5. A Bloody Retreat

**So, here is the next part of the story. Hope you like it and will review with feedback. And a big thank you to my reviewers of the last chapters, your feedback is much appreciated! Oh and if we get at least five reviews for this, with three new reviewers, that'd be great and I would be more likely to write another part sooner. So yeah, enjoy and thanks for reading!**

Ryan sprinted through the tunnels, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the low ceiling. Adrenaline was already coursing through him, blocking out every other thing except the torches behind them. Wait, torches? Werewolves couldn't hold torches, he thought. "Angela, why are there torches behind us? Are there humans back there?" he whispered to her as they ran.

Angela cursed softly. "No, there are only werewolves behind us," she replied. "Those are elite werewolf troops called the Werebanes. It is where humanoid werewolves ride others in wolf form. Much like horses, in fact. But horses can't kill you," she finished under her breath.

"Great," Ryan said sarcastically. "So we have to either run or fight warriors on steeds when we have none ourselves?"

"Pretty much," Angela conceded. "Should be fun, right?" she said, smiling. The three sprinted into a cavern, which was tall and wide. A river flowed through the back of it, rushing quietly but quickly.

Ryan was about to reply, but then Caroline tripped next to him and fell the the floor of a cavern they had just entered. When she hit the ground, she let out a yelp of pain. It echoed around the cavern and down the tunnels, all else was silent as Angela and Ryan skidded to a halt, staring at her. And then they heard a drumming in the distance, steadily getting louder.

Grabbing something from her backpack, Angela tossed something to Ryan. Surprised he barely caught it. It was a double knife scabbard, just like the one he had used in an earlier spar. "Where did you get-" he started.

"There's no time! Draw them and fight!" She said. "I am going to try to find us a way out of this place through the river. Buy me some time please!" She tossed her staff to Caroline. "Sorry, it's all I got."

Caroline looked too stunned to answer, but she crouched into a fighting position. Ryan drew his knives as well, crouching into his position. Blood pumped through his head; he couldn't hear anything else. His vision narrowed down to the entrance to the cavern, and only that. No thought flowed through his mind but kill, kill, kill...

The werewolves rushed into the tunnel and all went dark.

Caroline crouched as the wolves bounded into the room with riders on their backs. Each rider carried a spear and shield, with light armor. The wolves were bare but enormous. They were at least four feet tall at the shoulder. But Caroline didn't have time to wonder any more because the first one had reached her. She jumped out of the way of the spear nimbly, but didn't have time to counterattack. She saw Ryan stab the first wolf in the head, ducking as the wolf's momentum carried him and his rider over his head. Pulling the knife out of the body, he prepared for the next fighters.

Caroline, on the other hand, had no idea what to do. Dodging around, she knew it was only a matter of time before she was caught or killed. Another rider approached her quickly, his spear aimed at her head. She ducked under it, just to meet the next rider immediately. She saw him raise his spear to kill her, and the spear started to descend. Quicker than she could think, her hand was in out in front of her, blazing with light. The rider was blown backwards, his neck broken before he slammed against the wall, the wolf under him meeting the same fate.

Turning around, Caroline faced off with the next charging warrior. She felt extremely energetic and powerful, nothing could stop her from achieving her goal. This time, she knocked the spear aside and lunged over the wolf at its' rider. Her staff now as sharp as a sword, she stabbed straight through the rider's shield and into its' heart. The rider fell back slowly, dead. Caroline jumped off the wolf quickly, relishing her kill. Part of her was cowed at killing something, even a wolf. But the other part of her was bloodthirsty, seeking to kill and enjoying it. Scared, Caroline felt the rage within her lessen. She still felt the power, but she was no longer without empathy.

But the time she spent cost her dearly. The riderless wolf she had been attacking slammed into her, pinning her to the ground. Its' slavering jaws were inches from her neck, its' breath smelled like rotten flesh. Turning away, Caroline prepared to be ripped apart.

It never came. Slowly she opened her eyes to see the wolf's eyes very close, but glazed over. It was dead. Slowly it toppled off her, and she saw her brother standing over it, holding bloody daggers. He had a puncture wound in his shoulder, but otherwise looked ok. His eyes blazed with battle fury, but Caroline was relieved to see worry on his face. At least he wasn't completely controlled by the demons the two seemed to have within. Lowering his daggers, he looked behind him.

"The wolves are gone," he said. "Lets go, Angela looks ready to leave." Standing up shakily, Caroline leaned on Ryan for support while looking at Angela's handiwork. A makeshift boat was in the river, made out of bits and pieces of wood and stone that Angela had found. How it floated, Caroline had no idea. But it definitely seemed to be, and it was the only way out of this place. Shivering, Caroline and Ryan made their way over to Angela, who was observing them worriedly.

"Quick, get in, we don't have much time. More will be here soon." she said. Looking behind us, her eyes widened. "Oh no! They're back!" Ryan and Caroline looked behind in shock to see more wolves bound into the cavern. "Quick, get in!" Angela said urgently. "We don't have much time, they'll see us soon."

As if on cue, one of the riders saw them and alerted the others. The riders drew their weapons making Caroline shudder, goosebumps running up her body. These riders didn't have spears, they had bows!

Ryan pulled her from her stupor, grabbing her and pushing her onto the boat. He jumped on after, with Angela last. The water carried them downstream, where the river disappeared under the cavern walls.

Unfortunately, the wolves needed no encouragement to fire. Arrows whizzed past the raft, slamming into the cavern walls and the river. It was only a matter of time before the arrows hit home, but what would come first? Their escape, or their deaths?

More arrows flew by, but once again none hit. The cavern walls approached swiftly, but so did the riders. Thundering closer, they released their last volley of arrows.

Pain exploded in Caroline's shoulder, driving her to the ground. A black fletched arrow was stuck in it, its' point all the way into her. She fell to the ground, aware of nothing else except for the arrow. Pain pounded in her head, drowning out everything else. She felt her grip upon the raft slacken, her muscles were not working. Water splashed over the side of the ship, dousing her and causing her to scream. Instantly Ryan turned around and saw her. He reached for her, but was too late. Caroline felt her lose her grip on the raft and fall into the cold, dark, water below.

And then everything went black.


End file.
